Unknown Frank Baker Card

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

Anyone have any thoughts about the origin of this Frank Baker card? Dan McKee at on time suggested it might be associated with the this cigar box however Lew Lipset thought otherwise.

Won this several years ago on eBay as Dan knows and the card was talked about back then. Wondered if there are other opinions.

Thanks,

Greg

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

nothing on the back?

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Posted By: Dave F

I don't know what it is, but its cool looking. WHat are the approximate measurements on it? Also assuming back is blank?

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Posted By: paulstratton

No idea, but cool portrait of Baker. Not many portraits of him it seems. How thick is it?

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

looks similar to the e107 design.

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Posted By: Anonymous

I'll admit I don't have a clue on this one. One suggestion, however, is that maybe the card was used to promote the cigar brand.

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Posted By: leon

What are the approx dimensions? Is the back completely blank? Obviously it looks sort of like an M101-4/5.....I have an idea depending on the back....

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Posted By: Paul

That would be a hell of a popular set, if it was a set.

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

Greg,

I also don't think it has anything to do with the cigar box. I think that both the card and the cigar box happened to use the same image of Baker (similar to the Wagner HR card and cigar box).

That being said, I could have sworn I've seen this image also used on a writing tablet before although I can't put my finger on where I saw it or when (or if I'm even remembering correctly). Any chance this was cut from the front of a writing tablet?

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For the premier souce of information on baseball-related cigarette packs on the web, visit http://www.baseballandtobacco.com

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Posted By: peter ullman

that's a really cool card. I have no idea what it is...a strip of sorts...but I love it...definitely looks like a "card!"

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Posted By: Wesley

Is the Baker related to this Joe Jackson card?

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Posted By: peter ullman

it looks a little similar...but...no position on the baker. same same...but different!!

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Posted By: Todd Schultz

I agree it looks like an E107, although obviously issued later. Not really m101 like--those were deliberately all action shots (except for the quickly pulled Oscar Stanage), while this is a rich portrait.
Oddly enough, when I looked at Okkonen's uniforms to try and pinpoint a year, it seems this particular uniform is uncatalogued by him. None of the T206 Athletics is shown with this particular style "A" either, although Bender's bears a slight resemblence. Could the team logo have been added by an artist? If so that seems strange, since a real photo would have borne the A anyway (unless the team put up a stink about using the logo).

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Posted By: robert

Obviously it's not an E107 since Baker started his career years after that issue.

It does look like an early image for Baker though, but after he was established enough so perhaps 1911 or 1912.

Greg,

Normal tobacco issue stock? Thick stock like an ad display piece? Thin stock?

I wish T206 had that portrait in the set. It's really great.

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

Sorry for the delay...

The card measures 2 1/2 x 1 1/2. It is a blank back. It is the same thickness as a T206 however the paper stock is not as stiff as that used for T206s. Both the surfaces of the card are glossy. The guy I got it from had two of them. And if it matters, the black border has left an impression on the reverse of the card in certain areas. Hard to pick it up in a scan but I suspect that is just part of the typical printing process for the time.

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Posted By: Red

May be from something like this.
http://mastronet.com/index.cfm?action=DisplayContent&ContentName=Lot%20Information&LotIndex=56179

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Posted By: peter ullman

hmmm!

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Posted By: Paul

Greg, was the other card that the seller had another Baker? What player was it? Thanks.

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Posted By: Bottom of the Ninth

Hi Paul,

Yes it was another Baker but cut worse than mine.

Greg

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Posted By: scott brockelman

I think this is from the same set that the UNC A's team card is from(imagine someone has a scan of it) the set was issued the year after they won one of the many World Series( I forget which one now). They do look like but are not part of the E107 set, BUT COULD HAVE been produced by the same printing company.

Scott

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Posted By: travis

if ur looking to get rid of it contact me...

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Posted By: DD

I'll go out on a limb and say that if there are any Frank Baker collector's out there, they are not completists. Between the T231, and now this card, how many real 1 of a kind's could a guy have to see before giving up on owning all Frank Baker cards.

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Posted By: leon

IF there are any Baker collectors they might just go for the catalogued cards....Doing all of the uncatalogued ones too would be impossible.....

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Posted By: DD

True, but last I looked, your T231 is catalogued. (insert smiley here)

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

whats a t231?

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Posted By: barrysloate

Look two posts above yours at Leon's avatar...that's a T231.

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Posted By: ali_lapoint

can't really see that little guy

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Posted By: leon

here ya go....quite possibly the rarest catatlogued card in the hobby.....

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Posted By: Anonymous

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Posted By: jdrum

Now who would collect Frank Baker cards?

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Posted By: fkw

another unknown Baker

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Posted By: Richard

"quite possibly the rarest catatlogued card in the hobby....."

I think there are quite a few catalogued cards that have not even been confirmed to exist.

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Posted By: leon

and exactly how many of those sets have 1 physical card known and 1 other scan known?

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Posted By: Richard

Leon - for a type card collector, the odds of getting a T231 are exactly the same as the odds for a Baker collector getting a T231 Baker. Each collector only needs one and it just happens to be the only one that exists.

We approach it from 2 different angles.

You are a type collector so how many examples of a whole set, regardless of player, is what is important.

I am a player collector, so how many examples of a Txxx Cobb or an Exxx Cobb that exist is all that matters.

For this example, people were talking about someone who collects Baker, so my point was that the person would have just as hard of a time finding a T231 Baker as any other one of a kind Baker. They would have an easier time finding a T231 Baker than one that was perhaps catalogued, but not even confirmed to exist.

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Posted By: Richard

If you need to read that a couple of times for it to make sense, I don't blame you. I am reading it now and I still don't quite know what I wrote

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Posted By: leon

I got it...and agree to what you are saying. As you and the world know, I am a set type collector....

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Posted By: Richard

Leon -

Stop fooling yourself.

You are a closet set collector with your D303s. You are just in denial.

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Posted By: keith

That Baker looks alot like an A's team issue .

1911 A's Fireside T208 . There are 18 cards in the set . Because of bad printing process a few cards backs have been known to be blank or very
light in ink .

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Posted By: Rhett Yeakley

Here is the card Scott referenced... the type-set is different, but otherwise it is pretty close.
-Rhett

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Posted By: Jon Canfield

One difference between the Baker and the team card Rhett posted is the text of Baker is Caps/Small Caps while the team issue is not Caps/Small Caps.

======================================
For the premier online souce of information on baseball-related cigarette packs, visit http://www.baseballandtobacco.com

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Posted By: Paul

I always thought that A's team card was from the same set as the Joe Jackson posted above. Is that incorrect?

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Posted By: leon

the 1915 Unc set is the one you are thinking of; what this team card is from.. and you are correct....

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Posted By: Rhett Yeakley

Yep, the Jackson and Team Card are from the same set, as has been stated by a few other people. I posted the picture because Scott made a reference to it. Like I said in my earlier post, the type-set of the two at bottom is different.
-Rhett

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Posted By: scott brockelman

That was the card I was referring to and can see the difference, not the same.

Scott

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Posted By: dan mckee

Picture is identical, I think it was issued by the Cigar company. But what do I know. A lot of this is best guess work. We are sometimes right and sometimes wrong. Greg out bid me on this several hundred years ago. It is a great card!